$231,000 raised in Fullerton City Council recall

FULLERTON – An effort to recall three City Council members, largely bankrolled by a local businessman, has raised $169,317, while a group trying to keep the trio in office has collected $61,903, according to the latest campaign reports.

The camp headed by Tony Bushala, whose family owns commercial properties in town, and Chris Thompson, a Fullerton School District board member, wants to recall Pat McKinley, Don Bankhead and F. Richard Jones. Nearly all of the $169,317 taken in by the recall campaign was contributed by Bushala.

"He (Bushala) spent a great deal trying to defeat me when I was elected," said McKinley, who was Fullerton's police chief for 16 years before running for a council seat. "Now he is spending more money targeting the three of us."

Bushala said, "I'm fortunate to have the resources to finance most of the recall. ... But there are dozens of Fullerton residents who volunteered to support the recall."

Thompson had been paid $14,400 so far to run the recall campaign. Thirty-six signature gatherers were also paid by the campaign.

Among the accusations made by the recall organizers is that the three councilmen weren't leaders, mostly for remaining silent after the death of Kelly Thomas. Two Fullerton officers face charges; on July 5, they came across Thomas in a parking lot while looking for a possible car-burglary suspect. Prosecutors say Thomas was beaten and suffocated. Both suspects have pleaded not guilty.

McKinley said that because the City Council may have to ultimately decide the employment status of the officers, both on unpaid leave, remaining silent was the correct decision.

"We remained silent because that is the rule," McKinley said. "We were told by the (city) attorney, 'Don't say anything.' ... A lawyer tells me what to do and I follow his lead."

Those opposed to the recall accuse Bushala of politicizing the death of the mentally ill homeless man in order to gain control of the City Council. The union representing the city's police officers was the largest contributor to the anti-recall camp: Based on the latest financial reports, the Fullerton Police Officers' Association made a $19,000 donation to the "Protect Fullerton – Recall NO" campaign.

Other law-enforcement groups donating to the Recall NO campaign: the Peace Officers Research Association of California, $10,000; the Southern California Alliance of Law Enforcement, $1,000; and the Riverside Police Officers' Association, $1,500.

Last month, the recall campaign turned in substantially more petitions than required to the City Clerk's Office in an attempt to force the three council members to face recalls. The county's registrar of voters will notify the city by March 6 whether sufficient valid signatures were gathered, City Clerk Lucinda Williams said.

The three measures could appear on the ballot of the June 5 primaries.